Sons and Daughters
by Avaelin
Summary: Caleb Danvers and his friends are entering their senior year at Harvard in three months. While picking up his prescription for the migraines that have plagued him the last few months, he runs into Elisabeth Bishop, who has a secret not unlike Caleb's.
1. Chapter 1

**One: The Daughters of Salem**

It was the summer of their senior year at Harvard. The alumni of Spencer Academy, a majority of which made it into Harvard, had gathered back in their hometown to celebrate one last wild summer before their last year began. Kira Snider, still the same frosty aristocrat she had been in high school, had arranged a late-night rave in the usual party location: the beaches of Marblehead. Festivities began at sundown, and everyone was itching to get there.

Caleb Danvers drove down the familiar roads towards town to pick up his prescription for his migraines. As of late, especially when around his girlfriend Sarah, he had been getting head-splitting pains. The doctor prescribed some medication, which worked—for a while.

Caleb and his friends had been invited to the party first; it was only proper to have the Sons of Ipswich attended the biggest bash of the year. Known amongst the students at both Spencer and Harvard as a group of wealthy bad-boys, the Sons of Ipswich had more history behind the name then they let on. As the Sons of Ipswich, they were in control of strong powers given to them from their ancestors, witches who escaped the witch trials.

Caleb turned into the pharmacy and parked his Mustang next to a sleek, black Audi S4. He'd never seen the car before in town and he knew everyone. Shrugging and assuming it to belong to a tourist, he headed into the pharmacy and picked up his pills.

"Oh, Elly, why not?" he heard someone whine. He glanced to his left and saw a pair of girls browsing the shelves. From their expensive clothes, he guessed they were the owners of the Audi.

"First, don't ever call me that again," a lithe, black-haired girl replied. Caleb appraised her, as was his habit when it came to pretty girls. She was graced with long legs and a slender torso. From the muscles in her legs, he guessed she was athletic. Her black hair reached below her shoulders, cascading around her in black waves. Her face was pale and oval with high cheekbones and her eyes—from what he could tell—were emerald green. He had been mistaken; she wasn't pretty, she was beautiful.

Her friend was an inch shorter, also with long legs. She was a golden girl with rich blonde hair bobbing around her chin. Her blue eyes were bright and her face heart-shaped. She, too, looked athletic with a lean build.

"Second?" the golden girl prompted. The pale beauty sighed.

"Don't you think it would be a little awkward if we just randomly went up to them and introduced ourselves?" she replied. Her emerald eyes flicked towards Caleb, a tight expression masking her face. The golden girl followed her friend's gaze, her bright blue eyes widening.

"Oh, I guess that takes care of it," she murmured. Caleb smiled politely and walked over to them, his pills in hand. The headache he had entered with was gone, a mystery that he wasn't eager to pursue just yet. He may be Sarah Wenham's boyfriend, but there was something about the emerald-eyed girl that caught his full attention.

"Hi, I'm Caleb Danvers," he introduced, extending his hand in greeting. The golden girl looked at her friend, who seemed frozen. Sighing with exasperation, she took Caleb's hand first.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Adeline Lakeland," the blonde replied. Caleb nodded and smiled, turning his gaze eagerly to Adeline's friend. Her green eyes weren't as surprised as they had been earlier, but they were still wary.

"I'm Elisabeth Bishop," she told him, her voice quiet. "Where are the others?"

Her question caught Caleb off-guard. Others? What others? Adeline glared at Elisabeth.

"Well, that's subtle," she snapped. Elisabeth looked at her evenly.

"Might as well get it over with, right? Isn't that what you wanted?" Elisabeth retorted. Caleb looked at Elisabeth, drawn to her by some invisible chain.

"What others?" he asked her. Elisabeth turned her cool gaze towards him.

"Certainly there is more than one Son of Ipswich," she replied. "Otherwise I would be highly disappointed having come here to find you all only to learn that there is but one." Caleb's mouth tightened. To the schools, the Sons of Ipswich were only a group of friends with a title. The way Elisabeth spoke of them, it sounded like she knew the truth.

"Maybe we should take this outside, Elle," Adeline prompted, leading her friend away by the arm. Caleb followed them to the black Audi.

Elisabeth threw their purchases into the trunk and looked at Caleb. "Well?" she asked. Caleb frowned.

"My friends are out somewhere," he replied warily. "How do you know about us?" Elisabeth leaned against the car, her arms folded across her chest. She looked at him with her arbitrary, even gaze.

_Damn, she's gorgeous,_ Caleb thought. Elisabeth looked at Adeline.

"Take care of the listeners," she ordered. Caleb watched Adeline, who began scanning the vicinity.

"We know about you because we are like you," Elisabeth told him, capturing his attention. "We also have magic, just as dangerous as your own. I guess you could say that we function the same way, under the same rules, and with the same limitations."

Caleb looked at them with disbelief. How could they be like him and the others? Their powers could only be passed down through males; and he hated to be Captain Obvious, but _they_ weren't boys.

Elisabeth smiled at the confused look on his face. "You are the Sons of Ipswich, and we are the Daughters of Salem."

Adeline looked over her shoulder, eager to see his reaction. His handsome face was composed, but Adeline knew the surprise in his eyes. She glanced at Elisabeth, whom she had known since they were born. Elisabeth was always cautious with people, always making sure the others didn't do anything stupid; but with Caleb Danvers, Elisabeth seemed… relaxed. Adeline smiled mentally. She knew all of Elisabeth's body language, having spent so many years with her, and all of Elisabeth's movements indicated she was interested in the gorgeous boy in front of them.

"Daughters of Salem?" he repeated. Elisabeth nodded. "So there are four of you?"

"Five, none of our members are rogues," she replied, her eyes flashing in the summer sunlight. Caleb couldn't believe it. There were others like him and his friends; and they were girls. He figured it was only sensible. Every yin had to have a yang. But he couldn't believe that their yang looked like _them_. He could tear his eyes away from Elisabeth's face. She had known about Chase Collins, their rogue member who had disappeared four years ago. She had to be telling the truth if she knew about that.

Gathering his cool, he smiled. "You guys busy tonight?" he asked. Though he believed their claim, he wasn't sure the others would believe it unless they saw proof. Elisabeth looked at Adeline, who shrugged.

"I don't think the girls are busy. Besides, I'm sick of being cooped up in Rosie's aunt's house," Adeline said. Elisabeth turned back to Caleb.

"Nope, why?" she asked. Caleb grinned.

"Well, there's going to be a party tonight, and my friends and I are going. I thought you could introduce yourselves to them," he replied. "And show us what you're capable of." Elisabeth raised an eyebrow.

"You want us to prove ourselves?" she asked skeptically. "And here I thought you believed me." Caleb shrugged.

"I believe you," he corrected, "but I don't think my friends will believe five unbelievably gorgeous girls claiming to be our female counterparts." He flashed a smirk. "You wouldn't believe what some girls have told us in order to get our attention."

Elisabeth laughed and tossed her black hair over her shoulder. "Oh really? Then I guess we'll go." She held out her hand. "Give me your phone."

Caleb handed her his phone, watching her punch in a number. As she added her number to his phone, she tossed her cell phone to him. "Add yours, I don't answer numbers I don't recognize," she told him. Caleb did as he was told, all too happy to comply.

_You have a girlfriend, moron. Don't get too happy._

When they were done exchanging numbers, they took their phones back and smiled at each other. "I'll text you directions," Caleb told her as he opened the door to his car. Elisabeth nodded and made her way around to the driver's side.

"It was nice meeting you, Caleb," she said as she slid into the car. He watched the Audi pull out of the parking lot and jet down the road, a smile spreading onto his face. It was a stupid smile; a smile he used to only smile with Sarah. But it hadn't been Sarah who had made him smile—it had been Elisabeth Bishop.

* * *

"We have to _prove_ ourselves?" Contessa Foster cried. She was a small girl with a big personality. She was tough, but just as girly as her friends. Her auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail—as usual—and her innocent face was contorted with mild rage.

Elisabeth sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Tessa, it's only fair that we earn their respect if they have to earn ours," she said. Five girls were sitting in the parlor of the Snider mansion. Kira Snider was the first cousin of Rosalie Ward well, a Daughter of Salem. Kira's mother had been the youngest daughter of two and had been instructed to not breathe a word of the Daughters to her family.

Rosalie Wardwell was lovely, with her family's traditional red hair and a pair of sparkling blue hazel eyes. She was rational, but was given to fall prey to her emotions. Unlike the other girls who either ran cross-country or swam, Rosalie loved to dance. She was an accomplished ballerina, having gotten into Yale via dance scholarship.

Relations between the Daughters and Kira had always been icy. Kira always carried herself with too much confidence, which the Daughters were eager to pick at. They knew she was jealous of them; they always had somewhere to be, someone to impress. However, instead of taking it in stride, Kira lashed out with put-downs and icy glares—Rosalie often bearing the brunt of the attack.

The Daughters were staying at the Snider home in Ipswich as ordered by Elisabeth's mother and grandmother, who had also been the oldest Daughter of Salem in their time.

"_You and the girls will be staying with Rosalie's aunt this summer," Victoria Bishop had said one May morning. Elisabeth looked up from her breakfast to blink dumbly._

"_Why?" she asked. Elisabeth's father sat next to his wife, his eyes glued to the newspaper. His silence predicted a rising argument. She had always been closer to her father than her mother; he understood her better. His motives for loving her weren't in any way related to making her the best witch their family has seen._

"_Your twenty-second birthday is this summer." Elisabeth frowned. She knew where this conversation was going. The thirteenth of June was her birthday. That meant only one thing: the Prophecy. Elisabeth set down her spoon and looked at her mother._

"_Don't start with that again," she begged. Victoria lifted a hand to silence her._

"_Mother agrees with me," Victoria told her daughter. "She believes this is the year the two covens will merge." Jane Bishop, Elisabeth's grandmother, had taught the Daughters of Salem everything they needed to know about their heritage and their abilities. It was tradition the oldest surviving Daughter would become the matriarch of the families, essentially making decisions for the girls. Jane Bishop had to approve of everything that affected their future: boyfriends, school activities, schools, etc._

"_Maybe Grandmother is wrong," Elisabeth said without much conviction. Victoria smiled condescendingly at her daughter._

"_Unlikely, Elisabeth." Elisabeth began eating again, hoping to ignore her mother. However, Victoria continued to speak._

"_You will find the Sons of Ipswich and befriend them; become allies with them." Elisabeth listened to her father's paper rustle as he turned the page._

"_You mean seduce them," she corrected, her green eyes meeting her mother's. Victoria raised an eyebrow, but said nothing._

"_Prepare yourselves for the worst, for you know the Prophecy: When the eldest Daughter sees the end her twenty-first year under the black light of the moon; when the Fifth Son returns for vengeance—"_

_Elisabeth looked down at her breakfast. "—and when a Daughter pays the price, the Devil's Sons and Daughters will become One," she finished. Victoria nodded solemnly and touched her daughter's hand._

"_It will not be you," her mother told her. "It cannot be you, you are too strong." Elisabeth removed her hand and excused herself from the table, claiming she needed to finish some homework._

"But how are we supposed to prove ourselves?" Madigan Baker asked. She was the youngest of the quintet, and like the majority of the group, she was a swimmer. Her brown hair brushed her shoulders elegantly.

Adeline looked at Elisabeth. "Yeah, how?"

Elisabeth shrugged and looked at the clock. "I'll think of something later, right now I think we should get ready to crash Kira's party." Rosalie smirked.

"She'll kill us," Rosalie pointed out. Elisabeth laughed darkly.

"I'd love to see her try," she replied. Adeline whooped and leapt to her feet.

"Then let's get going ladies," she cried. "We have some boys to impress!"

* * *

The Sons of Ipswich were gathered at their usual meeting place: the cliffs above the beaches of Marblehead. Caleb had told the others about his encounter with the Daughters of Salem, and as he had suspected, the boys were a little suspicious. Caleb reduced their suspicions, but the girls were going to have to prove they had magic before they would be accepted.

"So, where are they?" Reid Garwin asked impatiently. His eyes kept flicking towards the bonfires on the beach. He wanted to have some fun. Tyler Simms clapped him on the shoulder.

"Chill, dude, if they're as hot as Caleb says, they're worth the wait," he said with a snicker. Pogue and Caleb rolled their eyes. Tyler and Reid were the bachelors and chronic flirts.

"Of course we are," a silky voice said from above them. The boys looked up, their jaws dropping. Five girls were walking down a set of invisible stairs in a perfect line, their eyes pitch black. Reid and Tyler stared at Caleb, who was grinning. The Daughters of Salem were legitimate.

The girls stood in front of the boys, their black eyes reverting back to their natural hues. They were all smirking at the expressions on the faces of the boys. The girl in the middle of the line, the leader, nodded at Caleb, who nodded back.

"Nice entrance," he said with amusement. The girl-leader shrugged with a grin.

"You said to prove ourselves, so we did." Caleb laughed and looked at his friends.

"Boys, meet the Daughters of Salem," he said as he motioned towards the line of girls. "I believe some introductions are in order." The girl-leader nodded and looked to her far left.

"We'll start," she said. She nodded at the girl who was standing at the end of the line.

"I'm Madigan Baker," the girl said as her brown hair blew in the slight breeze. Her gray eyes were cool but welcoming. She was wearing a jean skirt that hugged her slender hips nicely and a violet tank top. The girl next to her stepped forward; she was a small-framed girl with auburn hair and amber eyes. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans with a cropped football jersey.

"I'm Contessa Foster, but call me Tessa," the auburn-haired girl said with a smile. Her eyes fell on Reid, who was appraising her without attempting to hide it.

The girl-leader looked to her right. The blonde standing immediately to her right stepped forward. Her hair was chin-length and her blue eyes were bright. Her lean body was covered with a pair of tight, white pants and a light green bikini top with a cropped jean jacket.

"Adeline Lakeland, call me Addy." Tyler clenched his fists to stop himself from jumping her. Addy looked at the girl on her right, who was a cute red-head with hazel eyes. A khaki skirt showed off her legs while a tight pink shirt highlighted her slender torso.

The red-head gave a small wave. "I'm Rosalie Wardwell."

Then, all eyes were on the girl-leader. Her black hair was loose around her shoulders in thick waves and her emerald eyes glittered mischievously in the slim moonlight. A white, mid-drift shirt showed off her wash-board stomach while a black pair of shorts showed off her legs. A pair of suspenders and a pair of black pumps accessorized her outfit.

"Elisabeth Bishop," she told them. Caleb smiled at her and was about to introduce his friends when she stopped him. "We already know how you all are," she told him. "We've been keeping tabs on you four for a while."

Pogue frowned. "Why?" Elisabeth shrugged.

"My grandmother is insane." Adeline snorted.

"And that's where your mom gets it," she added. Elisabeth smiled dryly and nodded. She looked at the Sons of Ipswich and smiled.

"Seeing as we're late for a party, I'll sum everything up for you: my grandmother is basically our dictator, everyone but Rosalie is on the Yale diving team and runs track, we could very easily kick your asses if we wanted to, and Kira Snider is Rosalie's cousin and our mortal enemy. Shall we go?"

A burst of giggles erupted from the girls at the explanation. Caleb grinned and shrugged.

"Sure, we normally just drop in from here," he told them. Elisabeth eyed the cliff and looked at the girls.

"Diving practice anyone?" she asked with a smirk. The girls cheered as Elisabeth turned her gaze to the Sons. "This is why our team demolished Harvard at state."

Rosalie was the first to go, just doing a simple dive. Adeline followed her with a fancy backflip dive. Contessa was next with triple-tuck dive, followed by Madigan with a quadruple-tuck. Elisabeth stood on the edge of the cliff, her back facing the bay. She slipped off her pumps and handed them to Caleb.

"_This_ is why _I_ demolished Harvard at state," she said with a confident grin. She took three steps forward away from the edge, turned, and sprinted towards the edge. She leapt forward, pushing off the edge with her hands and spiraling in the air, her legs pinned together. She grasped her ankles in a pike, tumbling towards the ground in such a position.

The Sons of Ipswich couldn't see her landing, but they knew she landed on her feet. Caleb laughed and looked at the boys.

"See you at the bottom." With that, he fell into the night fog, Elisabeth's shoes in his hands.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two: Minor Details**

Elisabeth stood on the shore of the bay, the waves washing over her bare feet. The other girls had chosen to wait for the boys beneath the cliff, but Elisabeth had been drawn to the water.

Ever since she was a little girl, the water was always an escape from her mother. It was the one thing she didn't mind her grandmother making her do. The water was soothing to her often frazzled nerves. If she ever got too frustrated with life, she would find comfort in the pool.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Elisabeth glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Caleb, who was approaching her with her shoes in his hands. His white tank top hugged his muscular torso perfectly, the black jacket concealing the well-developed muscles she knew lay beneath the fabric.

"They aren't worth that much," she replied quietly as she looked back at the water. "I've never been too interested in parties; I like things quiet." Caleb stood next to her, his chest brushing against her arm.

"I can believe that," he said. "You seem like the kind of person who prefers an intimate setting rather than a room full of people." Elisabeth smiled and took her shoes from him. They began walking down the beach towards the bonfires, the others having started already.

"So, how did your boyfriend like your coming here?" he asked casually. Elisabeth rolled her eyes at the ridiculous question.

"I think that's the dumbest line I've ever heard," she told him honestly. "I don't have a boyfriend, and I'm sure you're aware of it." Caleb laughed and nudged her gently with his elbow.

"I like you, you're honest," he said. Elisabeth snorted.

"You like me because I'm honest? That's a first. My honesty normally ends up killing any relations with a guy."

"I like honest girls. They keep me on my toes," he said after a chuckle. "Besides, you've got a lot more qualities in your favor." Elisabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Beg pardon?"

"You're beautiful, smart, honest, and you're a witch—that's the best one. I don't have to worry about making up lies to cover up the 'strange' things that go on with me and my friends." Elisabeth looked at him evenly.

"Might want to be careful," she warned him. "You're beginning to talk like you want to date me—and that's not the smartest thing to do. You have to get the approval of my grandmother, and if you manage that, you won't survive my mother's existence." Caleb laughed.

"And you're funny." Elisabeth smiled but didn't get the chance to reply; at that precise moment, Sarah Wenham bounded up to Caleb and kissed him. Caleb, stunned and mortified at the incident, watched as Elisabeth walked on without another word, her eyes having taken on the quality of daggers. Her face was composed as she walked away, and as she did, a migraine exploded in his brain.

Elisabeth wanted to punch someone. She was tempted to search out Kira, but she wasn't fond of beating up people who were easy. Instead, she searched out her friends; she was going home.

But, like a suicidal moth to a furious flame, Kira swooped down on Elisabeth, her lips curled into a cold smile. Her boyfriend, Aaron, stood beside her, his eyes taking in her voluptuous body.

"I don't remember inviting _you_ to the party," Kira sneered. Elisabeth paused in her trek towards her friends and gazed at her vicious house-mate evenly.

"_You_ didn't invite us, but the Sons of Ipswich did, so fuck off," she replied, her voice calm. Kira choked on her words.

"How dare—" Elisabeth pushed past the girl. Aaron, not liking the way she had spoken to his girlfriend, grabbed onto Elisabeth's arm and stopped her.

"Don't talk to her like that, bitch," he spat. Elisabeth glared at his hand on her arm, shoving it away harshly.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she said icily. She walked away, her hips swaying tantalizingly. Her fury was only increased when she reached her friends, who were sitting around with the other boys. She glared at the Sons of Ipswich as she stood by Adeline.

"You might want to make sure they aren't withholding any minor details from you before you get too comfy, girls." Adeline looked at her with mild confusion.

"What are you talking about, Elle?" Elisabeth shot the boys another glare, which Pogue accurately read. She had met Caleb's long-time girlfriend. Luckily, Pogue had broken up with Kate last spring.

"Ask _them_," she hissed before she stormed off in the direction of her car. Adeline was about to go after her but Pogue had grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Let her go," he said wisely. "I think she wants some time to herself." Adeline sighed and agreed, sitting down again beside Pogue on the log they had claimed.

"What was she talking about, anyway?" she asked. Pogue nodded towards Caleb and Sarah, who had begun walking towards them. Adeline's eyes widened. She suddenly understood Elisabeth's fury. Caleb hadn't mentioned that he had a girlfriend.

"Oh, he's a dead man now," Adeline murmured. Pogue smiled wryly.

"No kidding." He nodded at Caleb in greeting. "Hey, dude." Caleb looked around the area, obviously looking for Elisabeth.

"Hey, have you seen Elisabeth?" he asked. Sarah looked at him curiously.

"Who's that?" she asked, her voice only aggravating his migraine. "Was that the girl you were walking with?" Caleb looked at her with only minor patience.

"Yes." Sarah inclined her head.

"I don't like her." Adeline smiled without mirth.

"Not many people do," she told Sarah. "And I'm sure the feeling is mutual," she added under her breath so only Pogue heard her. He suppressed a smile and glanced at Caleb, who was still craning his neck looking for the girl.

"She's not here, man," he told Caleb. Caleb's dark eyes met Pogue's. "She left a few minutes ago; most likely, she went home." Caleb sighed and looked down at Sarah, who was eyeing the other girls warily.

"Who _are_ they?" she asked him. Caleb shot a quick glance at Adeline. He wasn't sure whether they wanted to be known as witches, and he'd already screwed up relations with Elisabeth; he wasn't eager to screw up anything else. Adeline caught his S.O.S. and smiled innocently.

"We're staying with Kira for the summer; Rosalie—the red-head—is her cousin," she replied for Caleb. Sarah seemed satisfied with the altered answer and looked up at Caleb with a sweet smile. If it weren't for the throbbing pain in his temples, he would have smiled back.

"Dance with me," she murmured. Caleb fought the urge to wince as the pain progressively got worse.

"Sorry, babe," he replied as he clenched his jaw, "but I think I'm going to head home. I left my migraine pills at the house and I'm getting this killer headache." Sarah's compassion overruled her disappointment and she let him go without a fight. Adeline and the others watched Caleb with questions in their heads.

-----

Elisabeth sat in her allotted room glaring at the mirror before her. All the thought she had put into her outfit for the party had been wasted on a lying bastard. What a pleasant start to three months of torture.

Her cell phone chirped next to her. She had a hunch as to who the caller was, but she glanced at the caller ID just in case. Her glare deepened as her hunch turned out to be correct: it was Caleb. She was tempted to throw the phone against the wall, but she had grown attached to the red Razr.

Instead, she flipped the phone open and immediately snapped it shut.

The silence was only momentary as her phone chirped again, as Caleb called her again.

Flip open, snap shut.

The process repeated itself three more times before Elisabeth lost her patience and answered the phone's irritating call.

"What do you want?" she snapped. She was sitting on the bed, her back to the French doors that led to her own personal balcony.

"For you to unlock your windows," Caleb replied. Elisabeth stood up slowly, her lips tugged down into a frown as she looked at the windows. Sure enough, Caleb was standing on the balcony, his phone pressed to his ear. He was clever, she had to admit.

Elisabeth, not wanting to lose the battle, moved closer to the windows slowly, her hips swaying. She kept the phone against her ear as she stood in front of Caleb, a slow, teasing smile gracing her face.

"And if I say no?" she asked. Caleb's dark eyes flashed mischievously.

"I'd find another way inside." Elisabeth smirked.

"Magic, you mean. Suppose I had put a spell on the room so that it couldn't be breached by magic?"

"I'd ask you nicely to let me in again."

"What if I told you that your _girlfriend_ wouldn't like that?" she asked. Caleb's eyes darkened with an indecipherable emotion.

"I'd tell you that I didn't care." His answer was so blunt that it startled Elisabeth. She was used to boys doing anything to get her, and she was used to a majority of those boys being involved in another relationship. It had always been her policy to only tease those particular boys. Yet Caleb had been the only one of those boys that she had started to like. He was willing to throw his relationship with whoever that girl was to be with her; wasn't that reason enough to indulge?

Elisabeth pulled the phone from her ear and snapped it shut again. Her eyes slid to the lock on the windows, her mind torn between what she ought to do and what she wanted to do. She always seemed to find herself in those kinds of positions, choosing between what she knows is expected of her and what she wanted.

Silently, she turned around and walked towards the bed again. She closed her eyes as she tossed her phone on the pillows, opening them to reveal nothing but black. She waved her hand at the locks, which immediately unlocked, giving Caleb access to her bedroom and, she felt, much more.

"I thought you were going to leave me out there," he said as he pocketed his phone. Elisabeth didn't look at him as she stood at the foot of her bed.

"I should have." Caleb frowned.

"Why?" he asked. "I just came here to talk." Elisabeth shook her head.

"No, you came here to apologize for misleading me, for not telling me about your girlfriend. But, by apologizing, you are admitting—subconsciously—that you wish for more than just a friendship from me."

Caleb watched as Elisabeth sat down on the bed, her emerald eyes locked with his. He wasn't stupid enough to deny that he had wanted more from her; how could he not want more from her? But he had the moral decency to stop anything from forming beyond a friendship—didn't he?

Caleb sat beside her, putting a half a foot between them. She had given him a concealed ultimatum: move on and pretend that nothing happened, essentially telling her that he wasn't interested in her the way she had assumed or apologize and also admit that he wanted more from her than what she should give him.

"I'm sorry that I misled you and that I didn't tell you about Sarah." Elisabeth stared at her hands. A part of her wished that he hadn't apologized, but the stronger part of her was elated that he did. The only obstacle was his girlfriend.

_What are you thinking? By fooling around with Caleb, you are becoming the other woman!_

_So? I'm tired of sacrificing what I want just because it's what's expected!_

_You're willing to lose the respect of those around you just for a boy?_

Elisabeth bit her lip. Was she willing to lose their respect for Caleb? No, she wasn't. By giving into Caleb, she was labeling herself as easy and she was_ not_ easy.

"Apology accepted," she replied evenly. She glanced at him. "I think it's time that you leave."

She stood up and opened the window doors for him. Her emerald eyes watched as he stood up and crossed the room, stopping in front of her. The smell of his cologne was near intoxicating as they stood so close. She focused only on his chest until he raised her face so that she was looking into his dark eyes.

Nothing was said as his lips descended onto hers. The kiss was like fire, barely reigned in by Caleb's control. Elisabeth felt her lips parting to further the kiss while her brain was screaming for her to stop. She felt his strong hands pull her body against his, the warmth of his flesh melting her steel defenses. If she was going to stop this, she had to do it before they ended up doing something they regretted.

Elisabeth tore her lips away, stumbling back against a table. Her hands gripped the edge of the table as she caught her breath.

"We can't," she whispered. Caleb gazed at her, his eyes no longer concealing the want.

"Why not?" he asked her. "Don't tell me you don't want this just as much as I do." Elisabeth tipped her head back, her eyes searching the ceiling for an answer she already knew. Of course she wanted him.

"What about Sarah, hm?" she replied. "Kira already hates me and my friends, we don't need more enemies." Elisabeth looked at Caleb, her green eyes bright.

Caleb took a step towards her. "Elle—"

Elisabeth raised her hand to stop him. "Don't, now is not the time for this. You need to leave before the others come home and find your car in the driveway." Caleb's gazed hardened.

"We'll talk later," he told her. Elisabeth smiled wryly.

"Undoubtedly." Her green eyes followed his figure out onto the balcony and over the edge. She slowly detached herself from the table and closed the windows, locking them to prevent any more nighttime visits.

Elisabeth sighed as she collapsed on the bed. Tomorrow was going to be a bitch.


End file.
